Violin bow



Dec. 9, 1930. c. c. AUGUSTINE 1,734,633

VIOLYIN BOW Filed Jan. 16, 1929 Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VIOLIN BOW Applcationled January 16, 1929. Serial No. 332,940.

This invention relates to means for fastening the horsehair strands in a violin bow and has for its object theprovision of simple, inexpensive and efiicient means whereby "l the hairs will be securely held and will be spread more effectually than with devices heretofore known so that a better-'contact with the strings of the violin will be had in playing. The invention also has 'for its ob- 101 ject the provision of means which will permit the ready detachment of the strands of hair when renewing or replacement ofthe same is necessary, the invention incidentally providing devices for the stated purpose which will be neat in appearance and will lend themselves readily to any ornamentation scheme which may be applied to the bow. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and will be vhereinafter '20) fully described, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

,In the drawing: Figure 1 is an elevation of a violin bow, partly broken away, having my present in- Vl vention embodied therein, I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the tip of the bow,

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the frog end of the bow, Y

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the tip end of the bow,

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view ofthe Aupper member which is secured to the frog of the bow T833 Fig. G'is a detail section onthe line (3-6 of Fig. 2. Y

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line 7-7 of Y Fig. 3,

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view' of the lower hood member which is applied' to the frog,

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of one of the wedges which are employed, and- Fig. 10 is a detailvperspective view of the f4.5) shoe which is supplied to the tip of the bow.A

'The bow may be of any preferred design and embodies the usual tip' 1 and frog 2 with adjusting devices, indicated generally at 3, for adjusting the frog whereby to obtain the ,mi desired tension upon the horsehair strands,

indicated at 4. In carrying out the present invention, there is provided a shoe which consists of a metal plate 6 having the same gcneral outline as the bottom of the tip 1 and provided with the upsta-nding forwardly converging and slightly inwardly projecting flanges .7 adapted to embrace the tip so that the shoe will beheld on the tip without the use of extraneous fastening devices. In the under side of the tip and preferably near thev rear end thereof is formed a socket 8 receiving the fastened ends `of the hairs and extending forwardly from the socket in the bottom of the tip is a recess, indicated at 9. A transverse slot l0 is formed through the plate 6 of the shoe and the strandsof hair are passed through the said slot, as shown in Fig. 2. The rear end of the plate 6 is formed with a depending re-entrant flange 11 and engaged in said flange is a spreader plate 12 which fits closely in the flange, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, and has its forward edge beaded, as indicated at 13, whereby it will present a smooth surface of appreciable area to the hairs so that they will not be cut by the plate. This plate 12 is substantially the same width as the shoe so that when the plate is in position the strands ofV hair will be spread and will rest flatly against the plate and theflange 11, as will be understood upon reference toFigs. 2 and 4. The ends of the strands of hair are secured together by a clip or ring` 14 of sheet metal which may be split, as indicated in Fig. 7, and compressed tightly about the ends of the hairs. vBy em ploying this clip or compression ring the hairs are spread and securely held in a relatively flat position instead of being hunched as when theyy are tied by a thread, as .has been the general practice heretofore, and they are more securely Vheld while the ring or clip furnishes an abutment to cooperate with the sides of the socket and to retain the end of the strands of hair securely in position. Both ends of the strands of hair are secured by a clip or ring 14 and a positive abutment to be engaged lby the fasteningdevices is thus attained so that the hair will not be apt to pull out'of place. i

At the frog end of the bow, the hair strands are held in a housing comprising an upper member 15 which may be tasten-ed to the bottom of the frog in any preferred manner and is illustrated as being provided with an opening 15 near one end through which a tack or like fastening element 17 may be driven into the frog, and also having a 'tongue 18 struck therefrom near its oiwvard end to engage in a recess or groove formed in the frog, as will be understood upon reference. to Figs. 1 and 3. This housing member 15 is'provided at its rear end with a depending stop tongue or lip 19 and along its side edges is provided with re-entrant flanges 20, as shown most clearly in Fig. 7. The front end ot the member 15 is flared somewhat, as shown in F ig. 5, and at its front extremity is a short depending lip 21, the purpose of which will presently appear. rthere is also provided a lower housing member 22 which is of a trough-like structure flared at its front end, as shown in F ig. 8, and provided along its sides at the upper edges thereof with outstanding flanges 23, the said 'flanges 23 being slidably engageable in the re-entrant flanges 2O so that the lower housingmember or trough may be properly engaged with the upper member to enclose the end of the hair strands and the cooperating securing elements. Upon reference to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the end of the member 22 will abut the lip 19 so that the engaging movement of the member 22 will be limited and it will come to rest at the proper point to properly secure the end of the hair. In assembling these parts, the member 22 is slid into place upon the member 15 and the end of the hair is then pushed into the boX or housing thus produced. An inner wedge 24 is then driven into the housing over the hair so that it will slip into position behind the lip 21, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and the parts should be so proportioned that when tension is applied to the device by manipulation of the adjusting element 3, the inner end of the wedge 24 will be caused to abut the clip 14, as shown in Fig. A second wedge 25 is then driven in between the wedge 24 and the horsehair, as shown in Fi g. 3, so th at the hair will be clamped against the bottom of the yhousing member 22. front ends of both wedges are lared somewhat, as shown at 26, whereby they will conform to the contour of the housing and will also serve to spread the horsehair so that it will be maintained in a fiat wide condition and will give more satisfactory results when applied to the violin. It is also to be noted that the upper wedge 24 is tapered somewhat towards its ends so that its body between its ends is of relatively greater thickness than at its extremities, the result being that when the lower wedge 25 is forced in place the inner wedge will be rocked so that its inner or rear end will be caused to move downwardly to eil'ectually engage the clip 14 and bear upon The i the strands of hair to aid in spreading the same while binding them against the bottom 22 of the housing. The wedge 25, of course, acts directly to bind the hair against the bottom of the housing. Should it be necessary 7 to renew the hair, the bottom member 22 of the housing may be withdrawn by the application of slight force so that the wedges and the hair will be Jree and if desired the intermediate wedge 25 may b-e withdrawn before removing the lower housing member. The rear end oi the strands will thus be freed so that tension upon the tip of the bow will be relieved, and, if the spreader plate 12 be shifted laterally, it may be removed from the shoe and the shoe then readily removed trom the tip. A slight forward movement of the shoe on the tip will release its flanges 7 from the tip and it may then be withdrawn bodily.

then the shoe is withdrawn from the tip-5 of the bow, the clip 14 with the ends ot the hair strands secured by it may be lifted from the socket 8 in an obvious manner. In applying new hair to the bow, the strands will preferably be inserted through the slot 10 in f m the shoe before the clip 14 is applied thereto but the slot 10 will be of such dimensions that it may be possible, in some instances, to insert the clip 14 through the same. The invention may be applied to old bows in rc-fln,

pairing the same and may be applied to new bows in the course of manufacture. Should the adjusting devices 3 of the bow fail to put the proper tension upon the hair strands,

the desired tension may be attained by lightly@A U tapping upon the wedge 25 so that it will be driven further into the housing and it is to be especially noted that the flared forward ends of the wedges aid materially in attaining the desired spread of the hair. lVhen the" f,

upper wedge 24 in inserted in the housing and slips into engagement behind the lip 21, it is positively retained in the housing after the wedge 25 is driven home, and in order to withdraw the wedge 24, the wedge 25 must/-L o be first withdrawn or the lower housing member 22 entirely removed, so that accidental release of the hair is not apt to occur.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. ln a bow vl'or stringed musical instruments, a tip having a socket in its under side. strands ot hair having their ends cugaged in said socket, a clip securing the ends of said stra-nds and itting'in the socket. and :il-1m) shoe haring upwardly converging flanges along its edges whereby it may be engaged with and held on the tip and extending over said socket to retain the clip and the ends ot' the strands therein, said shoe being provi dedg with a slot through which the strands of hair pass.

2. In a bow for stringed musical instruments, a tip having a socket in its under side, and a recess at the front side oth-N said socket, a shoe engaged with the tip and extending over and covering the recess and socket and provided with a transverse slot adapted to aline with the recess, strands of 5 hair passing through the slot in the shoe and having their ends engaged in said recess and said socket, and a spreader plate mounted on the under side of the shoe and engaging the strands of hair adjacent the slot in the shoe.

10 3. In a bow for stringed musical instruments, a tip having a socket in its under side, a shoe engaged with the tip and extending over the socket and provided -with a transverse slot, a depending re-entrant iiange at 15 the rear end of theshoe, and a spreader plate engaged in said flange and supported by said Harige and having its forward edge disposed adjacent the slot in the shoe to bear against and spread the strands of hair.

30 4. In a bow for stringed musical instruments, a housing having an open forward end and provided with a depending lip at the upper' side of said end, a wedge engaged in the housing with its forward end abutting said lip and its rear end arranged to bear upon the ends of strands of hair inserted in the housing, and a second wedge engaged-between the first-mentioned wedge and the strands of hair whereby to clamp the hair in :lo the housing and spread the hair. t

5. In a bow :tor stringed musical instruments, a housing` having an open front end and provided with a depending lip at the upper side of said end, a wedge engageable in il@- the housing with its front end abutting said lip, said wedge being tapered towards its ends and having its front end liared, and a second wedge having a flared front end and engaged between the first-mentioned wedge 4U and the strands of hair to spread the hair and clamp the saine in the housing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES o. AUeUsTiNn. [L 5,] 

